disparate \DISS-puh-rut\ adjective
1 : containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements
*2 : markedly distinct in quality or character
Example sentence: James often complained about the disparate expectations for himself and his younger sister, who was required to do far fewer chores than he was.
Did you know? Have you ever tried to sort differing objects into separate categories? If so, you're well prepared to understand the origins of "disparate." The word, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, derives from "disparatus," the past participle of the Latin verb "disparare," meaning "to separate." "Disparare," in turn, comes from "parare," a verb meaning "to prepare." Other descendants of "parare" in English include both "separate" and "prepare," as well as "repair," "apparatus," and even "vituperate" ("to berate or scold severely"). Incidentally, "disparate" can also be a noun meaning "one of two or more things so unequal or unlike that they cannot be compared with each other" (it's usually used in the plural).
No comments:
Post a Comment